A police officer in Dunellen, New Jersey, spent a shift disguised as a shrub to catch distracted drivers.
The operation took place on the 100 block of North Washington Avenue, a busy downtown area.
The shrub was not working alone. A plain-clothed partner wore a T-shirt reading “Not A Cop.”
Together, they radioed offenders to colleagues further down the road who made the stops.
74 Citations in Six Hours
Within just six hours, police issued 74 citations to local drivers. The department shared the results on Facebook.
New Jersey has strict laws against using a mobile phone while driving. Texting increases crash risk by 23 times, according to state officials.
First-time offenders face a minimum fine of $200. A second offense brings a $400 minimum fine.
Third-time offenders face a $600 minimum fine, three penalty points, and a possible 90-day license suspension.
During the sting, officers also spotted a white second-generation Toyota RAV4 EV.
This electric model was built for only a couple of years, with just 2,500 examples thought to exist.
The RAV4 EV used a 41.8 kWh battery pack and an induction motor sourced from Tesla.
Toyota owned a 3 percent stake in Tesla at the time, paying about $50 million for it.
The company sold its shares in 2016, netting roughly $738 million in profits.
